A commercial combined insurance policy is a comprehensive business cover in a single policy, bringing together a range of the covers most commonly required, primarily designed for smaller businesses, such as wholesalers, engineers, manufacturers.

• Offers all round financial protection to your business, giving peace of mind security
• Can be tailored to cover risks specific to your business
• Can meet regulatory or contractual requirements – trade associations or employers require specific covers
• Minimises disruption to your business
• One managed policy

• Employers liability (claims arising from injury to employees)
• Public liability (accidental injury to any person or damage to their property)
• Product liability (personal injury or damage to property caused by your product)
• Business interruption (loss of income if unable to trade)
• Legal expenses (including employment tribunals)
• Cover against material damage and theft
• Goods in transit cover
• Money cover
• Cover for engineering inspections
• Personal accident and/or sickness risks

Public liability insurance covers you for the cost of a claim made by a member of the public that has suffered injury or property damage as a result of your business or a product it has supplied. This means that it protects you against the cost of compensation to be paid out, as well as the legal expenses incurred by the claims process.

This could mean anything from a client or member of the public slipping on a wet floor on your business premises, to tripping over your work equipment when you’re visiting them at theirs. It also covers you for damage to property. For example, if a member of the public were to claim you’d broken their laptop whilst visiting them on business, you’d be covered for the cost of compensation owed to them, up to the limit of your policy.

If your business premises are visited by clients, or if your employees regularly work off-site, it may be worth considering this type of cover. If you work from home, you might assume you don’t need a policy, but this isn’t necessarily the case.

Say for example, you decide to take a marketing stand at your industry’s big trade show to get some publicity for your firm. But during the show one of the boards falls off and injures a passer-by – an embarrassing episode could turn into a costly one if that person decides to sue.

Also, if you visit clients’ premises or have access to their equipment then it’s worth considering buying public liability cover, because if you inadvertently damage their property you may have to pay the cost of repairing or replacing it.

This could be something as simple as knocking your drink over your client’s Phone or Laptop or an employee tripping over in a client’s server room, bringing a stack of expensive computer equipment down as they fall.

How much you pay for cover depends on the size and type of your business, and the level of risk it undertakes. This can be discussed before you buy your policy in order to assess what level of cover provided is right for your business. You may find clients expect you to have a minimum level of cover, according to your area or industry. This is often the case for businesses working with the public sector where the minimum requirement is usually between £2m-£10m.

Choosing not to purchase public liability insurance will not land you with a jail sentence or a hefty fine. But having the right insurance can make your business look more professional and offer you peace of mind. You don’t want to get into a spat with one of your best clients over the consequences of an accident or damage to one of their properties. Getting a public liability policy means you can let your insurer deal with any problems, while you get on with running your business.